MacDuff Kilt c. 1800

This kilt is perhaps the oldest surviving civilian kilt, dating to some time in the late 1790s or early 1800s. (The oldest known surviving kilt for which there is documentation is a military kilt from the Gordon Highlanders, c. 1796). This kilt is in the MacDuff tartan, is made with less than four yards of cloth, and is box pleated. The pleats are not arranged to any particular pattern. Unlike modern kilts, this early kilt has no lining, no straps and buckles, and no tapering to the pleats or apron. It does have some unique features modern kilts do not, such as buttons for braces (suspenders).

This kilt was on loan to our museum from 1994 until 2012 when it was returned to the Scottish Tartans Authority in Crieff, Scotland.